Friends News

Optimistic citizens who have joined the Friends since Feb '03: 520

Thurs 10/16 8:30AM West Lake Sammamish Parkway Christening! Ride, walk, bus, carpool, or drive to the corner of 180th Ave NE and WLSP to meet with other Friends, Redmond Council candidate and Friends Spokesperson Christine Discoe, Mayor Ives, and the staff that designed, funded, and created this project that helped turn this community liability into a community asset. We're looking for a good turnout to celebrate and get a photo for the Redmond Reporter and other press members. Come celebrate! More...

Tues 7/15  Vote on the fate of the I90 bike lane. Bellevue starts open house, BBQ, and design review for WLSP Tues 7/22. Mark Cross, East Lake Sammamish Trail supporter, has meeting 7/24 to garner support for his Sammamish City Council candidacy. See Call to Action.

Mon 5/13  Friends Prevail!!! In 4 months time West Lake Sammamish Parkway in Redmond will be much safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Stay tuned for more details and the victory party!

Mon 5/12 In what was looking like a dire circumstance with a proposed 1 year delay for environmental study, there were two new developments that are placing pressure on council members. The first was an excellent Friends press release that resulted in a strong article by Natalie Singer of the Seattle Times (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134711998_bikefight10e.html). The second was a note from City Attorney Jim Haney to the Council affirming validity of liability and legal concerns in the staff plan.
We have 2 confirmed votes and 3 maybes. We need 4 total or 2 more votes. IF WE GET A STRONG two-pronged demonstration presence prior to the meeting with TV crews present we are confident Council will let the project proceed. Please join us and forward to all of your friends to join us! The Call to Action link has details.

Mon 5/5 According to Richard Cole, Redmond Council President, there is no agenda item to vote on whether or not to approve the rehab project w/northbound (NB) bike lane Tues 5/6. However, this may be the last opportunity for public testimony. A study session is scheduled for Tues 5/13 where staff will provide answers to Council questions regarding the project. The public will be allowed to attend or watch on RCTV, but not testify. After the study session one of two things is expected to happen. The project will go out to bid the next day or the staff will call for a vote to delay the bid one week until a vote can be placed on the public agenda Tues 5/20.

The Friends want the project to go out to bid as proposed asap so construction can start this summer and we can have a safer parkway by fall! Imagine: In 4 months time we could have a smooth surface and not have to play chicken with other users because northbound cyclists will have a dedicated bike lane!

The opposition, on the other hand, is pulling out all the stops trying to thwart the project. The project already represents a huge, huge compromise. There are many in the community, including the Mayor, who would like to see more of the available 20пїЅ of right-of-way taken to construct raised curbs and planters for increased safety and community appeal. This project, being primarily a maintenance project, would not preclude that in the future, but only requires taking 4пїЅ of the existing 20пїЅ of ROW at 10% of the cost. The opposition is not happy with that compromise. Their latest tactics include a deceitful petition signed by lakeside homeowners and a threat to sue because of an "independent analysis" commissioned by Marty Nizlek that found the project requires a SEPA (environmental) review. While the study was a preliminary engineering evaluation by a Professional Engineer, it was not stamped with a P.E. stamp. This is simply a delay tactic so the project will miss the summer construction window and give opposition more time to find a loophole to "kill the bike lane."

The irony is the Friends want the same things they say they want - a safer roadway with quieter, slower, lower volume, and more environmentally friendly traffic. Redmond's proposed project with the NB bike lane makes it significantly safer by reducing the number of potential collisions, reducing the severity of the collisions, increasing lines of sight, improving lane demarcation, and creating more space for non-motorized users on the west shoulder. It also fixes some very dangerous intersections where motorists cut blind corners and drive on sidewalks. With a safer parkway more community members will be able to walk and ride their bikes rather than driving to their neighbors, parks, schools, and businesses. Fewer cars means fewer petroleum based pollutants spilling on to the roadway and draining into Lake Sammamish, less air pollution, less congestion, less noise, less potential for serious accidents, less road rage, and more cellulite mitigation! It's a win-win-win-win for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, the obesity epidemic, and the environment.

Right now, however, Richard Cole says he will push other council members to approve an environmental study, even though rules don't require it, "to be fair" to lakeside homeowners who had to comply with required environmental rules. The key word is "required." The proposed rehab project doesn't require it. The other homeowners' excavation projects did. This may delay the project a year.

Another tactic the opposition is employing is going door-to-door to their waterfront neighbors on the parkway with a petition containing deceptive and incorrect language such as "The City of Redmond will be putting children's lives in danger" and "Residents are being asked to assume the liability and cost of changes for a few cyclists." They are getting a small minority of waterfront property owners to sign it opposing the bike lane portion of the project. In reality, every single point they mention is improved with the project, exposing less citizens to danger and less liability for the City. Leaving the parkway as is keeps it the most dangerous road in King County for pedestrians and cyclists. In 1993 King County had the highest rate of pedestrian-vehicle collisions in the state. In Bellevue 55% of bicycle accidents occur as a result of bicyclists riding against traffic.

Even with these studies, very few pedestrian and bicycle accidents are reported. While the advent of mobile phones has made it easier to call the police to file a report, there is little incentive as there is not usually an insurance or criminal claim to be made. Furthermore, there is little data to reflect how many people would use the facility if it was safer. The opposition knows this and is using it against us. Please relate your accident stories or how you would use the parkway if it had a safe NB bike lane on the Friends website.

Right now no one knows what will happen. Please help us in our final two week push to turn this community liability into a community asset. Easy steps are at the Call to Action link and include joining, signing the petition, sending email to Council, attending the public meeting, telling all your friends, and celebrating a safer parkway!

Mon 4/21 Friends surpass 500 member milestone. Friends and opposition have a good showing at the public presentation of the project details. Heated debate on both sides occurs. Nizlek tells the PI "A compromise might be worked out. But I don't know if it's possible now. The project may have to be stopped. It would be appropriate if they stop this and only do maintenance and not widen it."

Fri 4/18  Friends submit petition, supportive comments, accident stories to City, announce plans to move forward with creating not-for-profit organization to solicit donations and legal assistance for accident victim fund, and prepare for public presentation and vote. Meanwhile, the opponents have hired two engineers and Bellevue resident Martin Nizlek spent 3 hours Monday probing engineering staff to find ways to thwart the project.

This week the Friends submitted a petition with better than 500 signatories and 200 comments supporting the City's proposed safety improvements to WLSP in 2003. Also included were 21 stories about accidents, close-calls, and deterrents to using the parkway. Friends is moving forward with plans to create a not-for-profit organization to solicit donations of monetary and legal assistance for victims of accidents on the parkway. Yesterday the Seattle Times printed an article about the upcoming vote. While Friends continues to be plagued by editors creating misrepresentative headlines, Natalie Singer's article was factual, fair, and an interesting read. Finally, the City Risk Manager, Glenn Sugiyama, has been notably silent during the entire campaign. The Friends sent this letter to him asking that he make an official statement to City Council before Monday's presentation.

Monday at 7PM in Council Chambers is the staff presentation to Council and the public. After the presentation there will be an opportunity for questions from the public. Friends are urged to attend and wear green, bicycling attire, or carry a bike helmet to indicate support for the proposed project with a northbound bike lane to create a safer parkway for bikes and peds. A vote is anticipated at the next public council meeting Tues May 6 at 7:30. Please attend to show your support! In what is anticipated to be the final week of the campaign all are encouraged to make one last push for more Friends members, more petition signatures, and more accident stories. Go to the Call to Action page for easy instructions. Let's keep the momentum going to turn this community liability into a community asset!

Wed 4/9  Bellevue resident and waterfront property owners continue to look for new reasons to derail the safety improvement project while Friends membership in support of the project grows.

Bellevue resident Martin Nizlek, West Lake Sammamish Association President, continues to make inquiries with the City of Redmond engineering department about project details to find new reasons to thwart the safety improvement project. The Friends obtained his April 1 meeting document with project engineer Mike Paul's response from public records. The Friends also obtained an email from councilman Richard Cole to the city engineer and other council members with a list of their concerns about the project. In support of the proposed project, Friends membership continues to grow, approaching 500 members. The Bellevue boy who was hit on the parkway a week ago has been upgraded to serious. Go to the Call to Action link to see the best way to help this cause.

Fri 4/4  Friends continue to testify and garner support as Bellevue boy is critically injured on the parkway.

The Friends continue to press for a new northbound bike lane, better pedestrian corridors, and other safety improvements and roadway enhancements for antiquated West Lake Sammamish Parkway.

Recent Friends activity included weekend meetings on March 29th and March 30th, between several members of the Friends organization - all residents of West Lake Sammamish neighborhoods - and members of Redmond City Council and the cityпїЅs Transportation Department. One meeting took place on the Parkway near popular Idylwood Park in Redmond. While members of Friends were discussing safety concerns with city officials, a woman leaving the park pushed a baby stroller though thick gravel and dirt for the length of a city block, on the undeveloped northbound shoulder, graphically illustrating the pressing need for improved pedestrian walkways and access to parks. Later, cyclists illegally riding against traffic, passed right by the city officials, showing the officials that it is a common practice for cyclists to engage in this risky behavior because the alternative, riding in traffic in the narrow, northbound vehicle lane, is considered an even greater risk. Members of the group also looked at some of the steeper driveways at the south end of the project area where Project Engineer Mike Paul demonstrated with architectural drawings how lines of sight would be maintained or enhanced. The other meeting took place at the intersection of 180th and the parkway, a blind corner where, even on Sunday morning, motorists were cutting the corner sharply at high speeds underscoring the immediate needs for improvement in that area.

The following Tuesday, April 1st, five members of the Friends testified at a Redmond City Council meeting. They provided new traffic study data and personal accounts to council to stress, as in previous City Council meetings, the inherent hazards of the single, shared-use bike/pedestrian lane on the west side of the Parkway and the risks associated with cyclists riding against the traffic. Former city councilman Arnie Tomac told of getting hit, while riding against traffic on a bike, by a motorist entering the Parkway. Mr. Tomac noted that, пїЅit is a natural tendencyпїЅ of motorists who enter the parkway from a side street or driveway to only look to the left, toward oncoming vehicle traffic, and fail to scan to the right for cyclists who are riding against traffic. This tendency often results in collisions or near misses, and is cited in studies as the leading cause of bike-automobile accidents on what is statistically the most dangerous road for cyclists in King County.

Additional testimony to council was provided by Mary Foland, who described how riding in the shared use lane often results in a dangerous game of пїЅchickenпїЅ as converging cyclists must contend for the same narrow strip of pavement or risk veering out into the vehicle lane to avoid an oncoming cyclist.

Friends testimony by resident Todd Proebsting to council also focused on data which underscored the extremely high probability of bike-automobile collisions on the Parkway because of a dangerous mix of wrong-way bike traffic and a high volume of side-street traffic entering the Parkway from feeder streets on the west side of the Parkway. These feeder streets, Mr. Proebsting noted, пїЅempty whole neighborhoodsпїЅ onto the parkway, and have traffic volumes that are significantly higher than the cumulative traffic from residential driveways on the east side (lake side) of the Parkway, which is where the City has proposed a new northbound bike lane to be built on the city-owned right of way. FriendsпїЅ testimony concluded with an overview of traffic data studies that stressed the need to shift away from automobile-centric transportation planning, and toward multiple-user planning. Another study, cited by Friends organizer Mike Eddy, showed that adding bike lanes to 12 Portland roadways was in itself a traffic-calming measure that reduced traffic speed and provided a perception to motorists of a narrower roadway.

The following day, April 2nd, the underlying fears that have motivated many members of the Friends organization to improve the parkway and enhance safety for all West Lake Sammamish community residents were tragically realized when 8-year-old Billy Williams of Bellevue was hit by a motorist and sustained severe head injuries when he stepped into the vehicle lane while waving to his school bus. The Friends wish to express their heart-felt sadness and concern for Billy Williams, his family, and everyone in the greater community who has been affected by this tragic accident.

St. Patty's Day In just 3 weeks the Friends grow to nearly 400 members and responded gallantly to a call to action, sending email to the Redmond City Council and Mayor supporting the City's proposal to improve West Lake Sammamish Parkway WITH the northbound bike lane. Rumor has it some 200+ notes were sent. I got a call asking us to cool it. Thanks! A vocal minority of waterfront property owners tried to get an item on the agenda to vote on removing the bike lane from the improvement project. Wisely realizing that the issue was decidedly not one-sided, the item was not added to the agenda. Despite all the email, Redmond City Council President Richard Cole spoke with Friends spokesperson Mike Eddy explaining that council members have not been provided proof that the existing lanes are unsafe. Go to the Call to Action page to make your experiences and comments known and come testify at Redmond City Hall Tues 3/18 at 7:30PM. Back up Phil Miller's subject matter expert letter with your first hand experiences.

Wed 3/12  At Monday's monthly meeting of the City of Redmond's Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee the members requested to be notified if the council was going to be taking a vote. Staff replied today that a vote may come as early as Tuesday 3/18! All indications were that this was going to be drawn out until May or June so we chose to create an orchestrated, friendly campaign. A few vocal property owners who stand to lose private RV parking and along public right-of-way have been lobbying the council while trying trying to keep their distaste for the project off the radar of other Redmond residents. Well, let's show them that we are very passionate about reclaiming PUBLIC ROW to upgrade the existing inadequate facility and create a SAFE corridor for people of all ages and abilities to choose an alternative way to access our neighbors, work, parks, goods, and services as well as enjoy the natural beauty of our community. The richest of the rich have enjoyed tax-free use of public ROW for decades. That's long enough. By all rights we should be asking for all 20' of public ROW to create a safe neighborhood and better community. To think that the self-serving adjacent property owners refuse to give back just 4' back for the safety and enjoyment of their neighbors across the street and the rest of the community is unconscionable. Go to the Call to Action page to join the Friends, sign the petition, send email to council, and relate your stories.

Tues 3/4 The City of Redmond held an open house for citizens to review the West Lake Sammamish Parkway Improvement Project. Approximately 100 citizens showed up and filled out comment cards. Approximately 60 of those were Friends, much like these comments supporting the improvements to the parkway with a Northbound bike lane from the website. Thank you!

That same evening at the council meeting Mike Eddy was the first to speak to the council on open microphone. He touted the virtues of the project and urged council members to allow it to go forward as soon as possible. Before 5 other Friends spoke in favor of the project 4 adjacent property owners beginning with Martin Nizlek, a Bellevue resident claiming to represent the West Lake Sammamish Association. He was followed by 3 other opponents in succession complaining about how they were not informed of the plans for the northbound bike lane. The testimony is public record so the Friends was able to obtain a copy of their hypocritical, self-serving, and irrational complaints and record the council meeting on RCTV. Email the Friends if you'd like to make a copy.

Thurs 2/27. There is a project design (City 1M PDF) open house on Tues March 4 at the Audubon Elementary gym from 6-8PM. Redmond citizens continually support non-motorized facilities because of the sense of community they create, but the City Council consistently votes 4-3 to squeak by subsidized grant projects. They need to be reminded of the wishes of the citizens. To help in the campaign to make Redmond a safe neighborly community, attend the open house, sign the handwritten and online petitions, fill out comment cards supporting the City's improvement project, and let City Council know you support non-motorized community enhancement projects.

WLSP Safety Project Open House
Tues March 4, 6-8PM

Sign the handwritten petition
Show support to council and staff members
Fill out comment cards praising:
    a friendlier community
    a safer parkway for kids, adults, bikes, pedestrians
    safer access to schools, parks, neighbors, transit, goods and services
    safer, flatter, more direct route for commuting to work between Issaquah, Bellevue, and Redmond
    a critical link in Cascade Bicycle Club's Regional Route program
Point out that the city's citizens are only asking for 4' of 20' of public right-of-way
Imagine a safe, pleasant parkway
Get to know your neighbors

A raised sidewalk and better lines of sight at the 180th/WLSP intersection near Audubon Elem and Idylwood Park gives peace of mind to parents, pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.

Addition of bike lanes on 12 Portland roadways reduced traffic speeds.

Portland's Glisan St before restriping with bike lanes.

Portland's Glisan St after restriping with bike lanes. The perceived width is narrower and traffic speeds slowed as a result.

Progressive bike lane design near Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. The lane has dedicated bike signals, signage, separation from pedestrian and motor vehicle paths, a centerline, and right-of-way over motor vehicles at intersections.

Common in Western Europe, this bike lane in Germany has different colored pavers for different uses.

Denmark roadway similar to WLSP where bike lanes reduce perceived roadway width.

Parking illegally exacerbates an already bad situation.

Waterfront homeowners use 20' of public right-of-way for personal boat parking, some opposing what ultimately amounts to 1-2' of additional ROW to make a much safer roadway with a northbound bike lane.

Private vehicle parking in public right-of-way.

Parking illegally exacerbates an already bad situation.